The winner and runners-up will receive camera equipment worth R185 000, courtesy of Canon.

Sunday Times Lifestyle Magazine will also be giving away R5 000 cash to each monthly winner.

Entries will be judged for their impact and technical skill, but the judges will be on a special lookout for authentic work of less common wildlife and fascinating landscapes.

The subject can be anything environmental: an image that highlights the planet’s natural beauty, or portrays threats to nature.

PRIZES

We will publish a monthly winner, who will win a R5 000 cash prize, courtesy of the Sunday Times. The overall winner and two runners-up will be announced in Sunday Times Lifestyle Magazine in December and win fantastic prizes from Canon.

The photographer of the year will win an EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105L lens kit and selected accessories worth R44 599, and an EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 L IS USM lens worth R18 399.

Two runners-up will each win an EOS 6D and 24-105L lens kit and selected accessories worth R32 499, and an EF 400mm f5.6L USM lens worth R16 599.

The winner and overall runners-up will each win a Pixma Pro 9500 Mark II pigment inkjet printer worth R7 699.

HOW TO ENTER

Send your entries to greenlife@sundaytimes.co.za. For full competition details, visit www.facebook.com/stgreenlife and click the ‘Like’ button at the top of the page, or visit www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes. Good luck!

RULES

It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that they have read and abided by the competition rules set out below. Competition entries for the titles of Sunday Times Lifestyle/Green Life Photographer of the Year, runner-up titles, as well as the Sunday Times Lifestyle/Green Life Photographer of the Month open February 17, 2013 and close December 10, 2013.

The overall winner and two runners-up will be announced in Sunday Times Lifestyle Magazine, on Times Live and on Green Life’s Facebook page in December.

The Sunday Times Lifestyle/Green Life Photographer of the Month and Readers’ Choice awards will be announced in Sunday Times Lifestyle Magazine, on Times Live and Green Life’s Facebook page on the last Sunday of each month.

Any photograph entered into the competition between the aforementioned opening and closing dates can be considered by the judges as the winning photograph of any given month.

Photographs must be e-mailed to greenlife@sundaytimes.co.za and within competition deadlines in order to be considered.

Each entrant may enter a maximum of 10 photographs a month.

Eligibility for the grand prizes at the end of the year is not limited to the competition’s monthly or Readers’ Choice winners. Any competition entrant can be considered for the grand prizes.

An image that has been selected as a winner or runner-up in a national or international competition is not eligible for entry.

The competition is open to all South African residents. Times Media and Canon’s employees as well as their immediate families may not enter.

Prizes must be taken (or rejected) as awarded, cannot be transferred or deferred and may not be converted to cash.

The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Each photograph will be judged for its originality, authenticity, impact and technical skill.

Each photograph must focus on any aspect of African wildlife; rural or urban landscapes or nature; or conservation threats to the planet.

Only photographs taken in or after February 2011 are eligible for entry into the competition.

Colour as well as black and white photographs will be accepted. Each photograph must be submitted in a high-resolution (at least 240dpi), digital format and not exceed 3MB in size.

Photographs must be submitted in a format that is ready for publication. Photographs with watermarks and signatures will not be considered. Photographs submitted as thumbnails will not be considered.

Each photograph must include detailed caption information.

All caption information must be submitted in the body of the e-mail. Caption information sent as separate attachments or embedded in or on a photograph will not be considered.

Each caption must include the full name of the photographer, a cellphone number, landline number and the photographer’s full South African residential address.

Each caption must include a title for the photograph, the exact location of the photograph, brief scene description, the date the photograph was taken, the photograph’s exposure settings, and camera and lens used. Each caption must also include the full scientific name and common name of the main species in the photograph.

While moderate editing will be allowed, each entry must be authentic, must be the photographer’s original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The Sunday Times reserves the right to validate the authenticity of any entered photograph.

The copyright of all entered photographs will remain with the copyright holder. Each entrant grants the Sunday Times and Times Media a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to reproduce, publish and communicate their entered photographs to the public by any means and exhibit entered photographs and copies in all media throughout the world.

The Sunday Times and Times Media reserve the right to publish any photographs and any names of competition entrants in Green Life, on Green Life’s Facebook page and Times Live. No remuneration will be offered.

The Sunday Times and Times Media reserve the right to change the competition rules and deadlines at any time and without prior notice.